Tag Archives: Garden Conservancy

Giveaway: Garden Conservancy’s Open Day Tickets!

Posted on May 8, 2018 | Leave a comment

Enter the giveaway to win three items: 1) six Open Day tickets; 2) the 2018 Open Days Directory; and 3) a packet of seeds–a pollinator wildflower mix created exclusively for the Garden Conservancy. There are going to be two Open Days in the Washington DC metro area this year. On June 2, Saturday, six gardens will be open in Maryland: High Glen Gardens, Rausch Woodland Gardens, Long Creek Homestead, and Basford Family Garden in Frederick; Surreybrooke in Middletown; and Edgewood Garden in Myersville. In addition there will be three Digging Deeper programs: free informative guided tours with staff at High Glen Gardens, Surreybrooke, and Long Creek Homestead.

The second Open Day will be Sunday, June 10. Four gardens will be open in Washington DC and Maryland. In Georgetown, the Nancy Gray Pyne garden and another smaller garden nearby will be open. In Maryland, the Everett Garden Designs Home Garden in Chevy Chase and the GreenHeart Garden in Silver Spring will be open. There will be two Digging Deeper programs at the Nancy Gray Pyne garden: a discussion of boxwoods at noon and a discussion of compost tea at 1:00; fee and registration requested.

To enter the giveaway, subscribe to Pegplant’s Post, a free monthly newsletter about gardening in the Washington DC metro area. Subscribe between now, Tuesday, May 8, 2018, and midnight, Sunday, May 13, 2018. The winner will be drawn at random from all new subscribers in this time period. To subscribe, click here or visit pegplant.com and enter the “subscribe” button on right column. Each issue of Pegplant’s Post features monthly gardening events in the Northern Virginia, MD, Washington DC metro area; newly published gardening books; gardening articles, tips, and advice relevant to this area; and a chance to win a giveaway.

Open Days are self-guided tours. These particular Open Days are from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, rain or shine. Usually admission is $7.00 per garden, cash or check or one ticket per garden. Open Days is a program of the Garden Conservancy, a non-profit organization based in New York. The Garden Conservancy initiated the Open Days program as a means of introducing the public to gardening, providing easy access to outstanding examples of design and horticultural practice, and proving that exceptional American gardens are still being created. The Open Days program is America’s only national private garden-visiting program and is made possible by volunteers.

Leave a comment

Posted in Events

Tagged , , , , , ,

Visit Private Gardens in Frederick Maryland Through Garden Conservancy’s Open Day Program

Posted on May 24, 2017 | Leave a comment

Surreybrooke, photo courtesy of Garden Conservancy

The Garden Conservancy’s Open Day program will have an Open Day in Frederick, Maryland, on Saturday, June 10, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, rain or shine. It will include six private gardens and two Experts in the Garden programs. Admission to each garden is $7. Discounted admission tickets can be purchased in advance; tickets never expire and can be used at most Open Days.

High Glenn Gardens, photo courtesy of C. Kurt Holden

Open Days is an annual program where private gardens are open to the public on specific days across the country. This program is produced almost entirely by volunteers. This is the first time there will be an Open Day in Frederick and is a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit these private gardens. Visit the gardens on your own, in any order. Street addresses are available on the website as well as a map to create your route. Proceeds support the Garden Conservancy’s mission of saving and sharing outstanding American gardens for the inspiration and education of the public.

  • High Glen Gardens: Currently a 64-acre, private estate with plans to become a public garden one day. There are 10 acres of formal gardens, a large perennial border, a rose garden, annual beds, a koi pond, greenhouse, Japanese garden, Mediterranean garden, and an English cottage garden. There are newly restored natural areas including a wetland and upland meadow. High Glen Gardens will feature the Experts in the Garden program where Executive Director, Peter Couchman, and staff will offer free, hourly guided tours.
  • Kremers Paradise: Garden has a stone wall lined pool and several small waterfalls. Nearby is a raised cutting garden and a tennis court with mature river birches, cherry trees, London plane trees and a Norwegian spruce.
  • Lillard Residence: Groves of hardwood trees provide a shady retreat. A meandering path serves as an entrance into the garden. There are planters of annuals and succulents and a small pond.
  • Meadow Brook Manor: Two-acre garden planted by plant lovers. A tree lined driveway with thirty kousa dogwoods, beds of vinca, burning bush, barberries, holly and hosta. There is a monkey puzzle tree and cedars and plenty of summer flowers, roses, and alliums. There is a Japanese garden with a koi pond and a night blooming tropical lilies.
  • Winpenny Tell Garden: This is the owners’ country retreat intended to provide solace with a gentle brook, koi pond, and ornamental grasses and perennials to provide seasonal color.
  • Surreybrooke: Surreybrook has extensive gardens and a Civil war era house and outbuildings. Plants will be available for sale.  Surreybrooke will feature the Experts in the Garden program: Nancy Walz and her staff will offer tours throughout the day.

Leave a comment

Posted in Events

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Peg’s Picks October Gardening Events Washington DC Area

Posted on September 29, 2014 | Leave a comment
Oudraat-Brown Residence in Washington DC Photo by Roger Foley

Oudraat-Brown Residence in Washington DC
Photo by Roger Foley

October is the time for harvest festivals and pumpkin patches. Check the “public gardens” and “nurseries” tabs on my blog for events; I have only listed a few “edible” ones below. That being said, there is one annual event that isn’t covered in those lists. This year, on Saturday, October 18, the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program will share four private, DC and MD gardens with the public, from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission to each garden is $7, no reservations required. The Garden Conservancy, a non-profit organization based in New York, introduced the Open Days program in 1995 as a means of introducing the public to gardening, providing easy access to outstanding examples of design and horticultural practice, and proving that exceptional American gardens are still being created. The Open Days program is America’s only national private garden-visiting program and is made possible by volunteers. Private gardens are open to the public across the country throughout the year. The proceeds from the Open Day program support the national preservation work of the Garden Conservancy. Visitors may begin the self-guided tour at either one of these locations:

Macleish Garden, 3525 Springland Lane, NW, Washington DC

Meandering walks, vistas, and garden rooms distinctly different from each other, offering surprises of color and texture throughout

Underwood Property, 4002 Underwood Street, Chevy Chase, MD

Garden and house support each other through the use of rainfall, natural ventilation and drainage, and solar and geothermal energy, with rooftop vegetable gardens, gabion walls, green roofs, rain gardens, and native plants

Directions will be provided to these locations in DC.

Oudraat-Brown Residence: a playful, non-traditional garden of bold colors, a curving “ribbon wall,” a cantilevered deck, repeating rounded boxwood and hawthorn trees, and perennials that spill over and soften the edges of the walkways.

Rauser Garden: a Japanese inspired woodland garden featuring fall highlights of nandina, camellias, and beautyberry, a fishpond and waterfall, pebble paths, and a hidden Zen garden

For more detailed directions and descriptions of these gardens, visit http://www.opendaysprogram.org. To learn more about the Garden Conservancy, visit http://www.gardenconservancy.org.

Other gardening events in October

Friday, October 17, U.S. Botanic Garden, noon to 1:00 pm, “What Science Says about GMO Food,” lecture by Beth Burrous, biochemist and USBG volunteer, free but must register. 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC (202) 225-8333 (general) and (202) 225-1116 (to register for events). http://usbg.gov

Saturday, October 11, U.S. National Arboretum, “Under the Arbor” is a series of informal, drop in demonstrations on an herb or herb related topic, presented by members of Mid Atlantic Units of the Herb Society of America. In October the topic is Chile Peppers, 1:00 to 4:00, National Herb Garden, free. 3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington DC 20002 (202) 245-2726. http://www.usna.usda.gov

Saturday & Sunday, October 18 & 19, Loudoun’s 2014 Fall Farm Tour. A free, self-guided tour of privately owned farms (about 21 farms & wineries in Loudoun County). Visit farm animals, gather eggs, pick pumpkins and apples, and enjoy many family oriented activities. Visit the web site for more information and for a brochure with a map of the farms and description of activities; Sponsored by Loudoun Virginia Economic Development. http://www.loudounfarms.org

 

Leave a comment

Posted in Events

Tagged , , ,